No Rest for the Innocent
by RosiePeg
Summary: Mana struggles falling to sleep one night. Once she finally does, the poor girl is plagued by the same nightmare about losing the one she cares for the most.


A humid breeze lulled through the windows of the palace, the fragrance of warm sands billowing through linen drapery. Nobody stirred at this late hour, even the Pharaoh himself rested soundly in his chamber. The calm of the night washed over everyone, except for her. Mana paced her room, unable to sleep, and unsure why. Impatiently, she crawled back into bed after lighting a small fleet of candles and incense, tugging a fistful of sheets over her head, burrowing deep under their cottony shield. "No more nightmares..." she whispered to herself, praying silently to the Gods that she could get some sleep. After what seemed like a century, the young girl fell into her dreams, but the sleep was not as sweet as she hoped.

She crashed landed onto a strangely colored floor, feeling stiff and cold and not having the slightest idea where she may be. Staggering up onto her feet, rubbing the bump on her hip where she fell, she noticed the blue gloves on her hands. Panicked, she looked down, recognizing the rest of her attire quickly and knew exactly what was happening. She was in a duel. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again, remembering that in this form, she had no voice. Reflexively, she materialized her wand and stood in defense, looking for who she could possibly be fighting. The room was very dark, but, as if someone knew exactly what she was thinking, brilliantly white lights flashed on from every direction, and once the young magician's eyes adjusted, her heart sank into her toes. Across the battlefield, she saw him... Arkana. "Ohoho, my magical little friend, you've finally arrived to the festival!" He cackled, pacing his end of the arena. "Would you like to see my production? I assure you, it's something you'll never witness again!" With fanfare, we waved his arms in the air. "...It's a... Once in a LIFEPOINTS kind of experience!" His laughter grew wicked, and a large platform with a velvet curtain rose from the ground. Mana clutched her wand tightly and drew her arm backward, preparing to attack, but lost her focus when she heard the Man snickering. "My dear girl, you needn't attack, this is a solo act, not a duet!" Suddenly her wand vanished from her hand, and reappeared in his, as he playfully swirled it around. "Without further adieu, let me present to you, the star of the show!" With a wave of his hand, the curtain dropped, and Mana's jaw dropped. Master Mahaad was tied up inside a giant steel bar cage. Not his counterpart, Dark Magician, in the purple armor, but Mahaad, in his white robes and gilded headdress. His lip was split, scrapes on his arms, dirt smudges on his clothes, and he seemed...half alive. Mana had seen more than she ever wanted to see, and flew at Arkana, hands glowing wildly with power. Just as she was about to shoot, chain wrapped around her arm. She lurched and aimed with her other, but was chained as well. How theatrical... She thought to herself, as she floated in midair, bound in magic chain. "You see, my dear, you keep trying to change what I have been rehearsing!" his bent smile faded into a scowl. "Now I won't be able to give you your present after all..." he frowned, but all too suddenly, his bizarre cheer was back. "Now, the moment I have been waiting for, my highest achievement, the peak of my career..." he stood atop a platform all his own now, almost glowing with excitement, arms flailing, "My NEW. DARK. MAGICIAN."

From out of nowhere, a figure shimmered into existence. It was... Mahaad? Mana gasped and wanted to scream, but had no voice to do so. On one side of her, was her Teacher, battered and almost unconscious and tied up, on the other, his Dark Magician spirit, in all his violet glory, but with entirely blacked out eyes. She looked from side to side repeatedly, wondering how the two could be present at the same time. The young magician girl wanted to cry. "You see, Dark Magician Girl, it has taken me years, but I have finally done it, I have the ultimate Magician in my hands, and there's absolutely nothing you can do!" The sickeningly happy whine to his voice turned Mana's stomach as she squirmed in her chains, wishing she could be freed. "Now, feast your pretty eyes on my next trick!" He wiggled his fingers and fanned his arms like a musical conductor, and the Dark Magician spirit flew down to the cage, staring his inky black eyes upon the nearly lifeless Mahaad. With a smirk, and a command, it was done. "Dark Magician, attack your body NOW!" A green cloud erupted, and within seconds, she could see her Master's body crumpled on the ground. He coughed and sputtered, and tried to move, but slumped back onto the ground, chest heaving and curled onto his side. Trapped in her cocoon of chains, she couldn't do anything, except feel her heart break into a million pieces and watch him lay. He was all she could see in the entire room, nothing else even existed besides his fragile state and quickly fading life. Arkana called the Dark Magician spirit back to his side and chuckled, but his victory and amusement vanished soon after. With a snap of his fingers, Mana was released and dropped onto the ground. "There there, little magic girl, I wouldn't let you suffer in his final moments. You can keep him, he's no use to me anymore!" Another wicked laugh slipped out of his mouth, and into a cloud of smoke, the two disappeared, leaving Mana and a withering Mahaad alone. She launched to his side, suddenly transformed back into her Egyptian self, holding onto his palm between her hands and crying. He forced a smile, and whispered out to her. "You did your best Mana..." he sputtered and took another rasped inhale. "Always... My Apprentice." his voice faded and his hand grew soft in hers. The girl screamed out in pain and sobbed. Her Master was gone. Hopelessly, she curled onto her side, pulling her knees close, and closed her burning eyes.

Mana jolted awake, shaking and cold, despite the humidity of her room. A majority of the candles had melted themselves out, the incense turned to smoke and ash, and the faintest of gray streaked the horizon outside her window, hinting that sunrise would be in the next few hours. Exhausted, achy, and emotionally drained, she sat up in bed, wiping the tears off her cheeks and flipping the dampened side of her pillow downward. Her fist balled up her sheets and once more, tugged them over her nose to hide from her bad dreams, as she drifted back into sleep.


End file.
